The mother of Dean Kelly, a former model serving a 10-year prison sentence for sexual battery and carnal knowledge of a juvenile, is trying to clear her son's name in the face of new criminal charges.

Kelly is now accused of trying to arrange the murders of Orleans Parish District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro, City Councilman Jason Williams, the judge who handled his original case and a victim of a sex crime that landed Kelly in jail.

Advertisement

"It's ridiculous. He's going to kill three people? Why in the world would he do that? He's got five years to serve. He's going to go kill three people? It's not going to get him out of jail," said Marilyn Kelly, Dean Kelly's mother.

Kelly has copies of handwritten messages she said were sent to her son by a fellow inmate, which she said shows Kelly was being exploited, threatened and pressured into writing a screenplay in exchange for help with getting him out of jail sooner.

"From what I can understand, this is what the screenplay was about. It was murder for hire," Kelly said.

Washington Parish authorities said the murder plot was brought to their attention last October. Kelly said Dean was placed on lockdown while it was being investigated.

"This Ted Addison told Dean I can help you get out. In fact, he said in here somewhere that he got his sentence greatly reduced and all, that he had all these magical powers, and of course when you're in jail and all you want to do is get out you want to believe," Kelly said.

That is when Kelly began trying to prove the murder for hire plot was not true.

"He got me these scrapes of paper, I put this together and sent this to the warden. When the warden saw this, he took dean out of lockdown and Addison was moved out," Kelly said.

Dean Kelly is now accused of attempting to hire a former fellow inmate to commit the murders in exchange for $35,000 in cash, two luxury cars, a boat, and a BMW motorcycle. As far as Dean wanting to kill anyone, much less his former lawyer and current City Councilman Jason Williams, his mother says it is not possible.

"He loves Jason, he still loves Jason. Who couldn't love Jason," she said.

Williams said "I have been notified at all stages by DA Montgomery, I have left this in the hands of authorities and taken the necessary precautions. I will allow it to work it's way through the courts. I appreciate the diligent efforts of law enforcement and the DA."